Graphical user interface for phacoemulsification surgical system

ABSTRACT

A graphical user interface for use in phacoemulsification surgical systems that allows a user to select different pulse modes by touching portions of the display screen. The user interface includes first and second display elements. One display element includes a representation of the on-time of the pulses, and the other display element includes a representation of the off-time. The representations show how the on-time and off-time change relative to a position of a controller, such as a foot pedal. The representation show a constant time, or that a time increases or decreases as the foot pedal is pressed. To select a pulse mode, a user can scroll through different pulse representations by touching the screen at the display elements. The selected pulse mode can be continuous, pulse, burst, or a combination or derivation thereof.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of prior application Ser.No. 11/401,659, filed Apr. 11, 2006 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,870,505, whichclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.60/671,879, filed Apr. 15, 2005, the entire contents of both beingincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to graphical user interfaces forsurgical systems, and, more particularly, to graphical user interfacesfor phacoemulsification surgical systems that include representations ofthe functions or behavior of the on-time and the off-time of pulses. Theon-time and off-time functions can be changed by touching the screen.

BACKGROUND

Modern surgical systems, and in particular, modern ophthalmic surgicalsystems, are designed to monitor and display multiple parameters of asurgical device or instrument that is connected to the surgical systemand controlled by the surgeon through the use of a foot pedal. Suchsystems can be complex given the multiple parameters that must bedisplayed and controlled by a surgeon, particularly during a surgicalprocedure.

Certain known phacoemulsification systems allow for application ofultrasound energy at a fixed level. For example, the foot pedal acts asan on/off switch to activate and deactivate ultrasound energy that is ata particular power level. When the foot pedal is pressed, the device isactivated and the power level is constant or “continuous.”

“Continuous” power systems were improved by the introduction of “linear”mode, which allows a surgeon to control power in a variable manner. Asurgeon controls power based on the foot pedal position so that thepower is proportional to or linear with respect to the displacement ofthe foot pedal. Thus, more power is provided as the surgeon presses thefoot pedal, and less power is provided as the foot pedal is released.

Further improvements involved the introduction of “pulse” mode. In“pulse” mode, phacoemulsification energy is provided in periodic pulsesat a constant duty cycle. The surgeon increases or decreases the amountof power by pressing or releasing the foot pedal, which increases ordecreases the amplitude of the fixed-width pulses.

Further enhancements involved the introduction of “burst” mode. In“burst” mode, power is provided through a series of periodic, fixedwidth, constant amplitude pulses. Each pulse is followed by an “off”time. The off-time is varied by the surgeon by pressing and releasingthe foot pedal to adjust power.

In order to accommodate continuous, “linear,” “pulse” and “burst” modeand their operating parameters, known user interfaces ofphacoemulsification systems typically include several human actionablecontrollers and fields or elements that occupy particular positions on adisplay screen. Some known user interfaces include buttons, arrows,switches, bars and/or knobs for setting desired numeric values ofoperating characteristics of the surgical system. Certain parameters arefixed or have a constant value regardless of the foot pedal position,whereas other parameters vary, e.g., vary linearly, with the foot pedal.The interface is manipulated by a surgeon to provide control signals tothe surgical instruments which, in turn, control the modes or types ofpulses that are generated.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate one known interface for a phacoemulsificationsystem. A surgeon manually selects the power mode from a selection baror menu 10. In this interface, the menu 10 includes “UltrasoundContinuous,” “Ultrasound Pulse,” and “Ultrasound Burst” menu bars 12, 14and 16, respectively. In the example illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, thecontinuous power menu bar 12 is selected from the menu 10. The powerlimit is represented in a window or field 20. The maximum amount ofcontinuous power or the power limit is adjusted using up/down arrows 24.In this example, the continuous power limit is selected to be “35” or35% of the maximum allowed power. The continuous power varies linearly,as shown by the line 26 in the background of the power limit window 20.The current power level is also provided in a window 28. In theillustrated example, the current power is “0” or 0% since the screenrepresents current power when the foot pedal is released. Pressing thefoot pedal results in power increasing linearly from 0% to 35%. When thesurgeon wants to change from “continuous” mode to another mode, thesurgeon selects the “ultrasound continuous” bar 12 so that the menu 10of available pulse modes is displayed. The surgeon can then selectanother mode from the menu 10.

For example, FIG. 3 illustrates that “Ultrasound Pulse” menu bar 14 isselected from the menu 10. A surgeon manually selects a maximum powerlevel of 35%, which varies linearly as the foot pedal is pressed andreleased. In addition, the interface includes a window 30 for the pulserate or pulses per second (pps) and a window 40 for the “on-time” (%Time on). The number of pulses per second (pps) and the on-time,however, do not vary with movement of the foot pedal. Rather, the pps isfixed at 14 pps using arrows 34, and the on-time is fixed at 45% usingarrows 44. Thus, the pps and on-time values do not change when the footpedal is displaced and must be manually adjusted by the surgeon usingarrows 34 and 44. Power increases linearly from 0-35% as the foot pedalis pressed, and is delivered at a fixed rate of 14 pulses per second ata fixed 45% duty cycle.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, when “Ultrasound Burst” mode is selectedfrom the menu 10, the same limit and power window 28 and limit window 20are provided. The power varies linearly with the foot pedal, asdiscussed above. Rather than pps and on time windows 30 and 40 (as shownin FIG. 3), the interface displays a window 50 for on-time or On (ms)and a window 60 for off time or Off (ms) when in “burst” mode. The On(ms) and Off (ms) values are fixed and do not change when the foot pedalis moved. The on-time (ms) is fixed at 70 ms using arrows 54. In this“burst” mode, the power increases from 0-40% as the foot pedal isdepressed by changing the “off-time”, and the duration of each pulseremains a constant 70 ms throughout displacement of the foot pedal.Thus, when changing from “pulse” mode to “burst” mode, differentparameters are adjusted. In “pulse” mode, the parameters are pps and %on-time, and in “burst” mode, the parameters are on-time and off-time(ms).

While known interfaces have been successfully used to performphacoemulsification procedures in the past, they can be improved.Particularly, the visual and functional aspects of interfaces can beenhanced so that surgeons can control different pulse modes and caneasily switch between different modes. User interfaces should includeadditional controllable display elements that allow different modes andtheir parameters to be quickly and easily adjusted. These improvementsshould be made without unduly complicating the user interface and how itfunctions. Further, interfaces should be capable of effectivelyrepresenting various operating parameters of various ultrasound drivingmodes, including continuous, linear, pulse, burst, and new modes, whichcan be combinations and modifications of known modes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of embodiments and the advantages thereofmay be acquired by referring to the following description, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencenumbers indicate like features and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a known graphical user interface for use with aphacoemulsification surgical system in “continuous” mode;

FIG. 2 illustrates the interface shown in FIG. 1 after the “continuous”mode menu bar is selected to generate a drop down menu of availablepulse modes;

FIG. 3 illustrates the interface shown in FIG. 2 after the “UltrasoundPulse” menu bar is selected from the menu;

FIG. 4 illustrates the interface shown in FIG. 2 after the “UltrasoundBurst” menu bar is selected from the menu;

FIG. 5 illustrates a graphical user interface according to oneembodiment of the invention that includes representations of thefunctions of pulse on-time and off-time;

FIG. 6 illustrates exemplary linear and non-linear representations ofpulse characteristics relative to a position of a foot pedal accordingto one embodiment;

FIG. 7 illustrates exemplary non-linear representations of on-time andoff-time that decrease relative to a position of a foot pedal;

FIG. 8 illustrates exemplary non-linear representations of on-time andoff-time that increase relative to a position of a foot pedal;

FIG. 9 illustrates a menu that includes representations of on-time andoff-time according to one embodiment;

FIG. 10 illustrates exemplary sequences of displaying horizontal,increasing and decreasing on-time and off-time representations accordingto one embodiment in which a user can scroll through differentrepresentations;

FIG. 11 illustrates nine different pulse modes that can be implementedby selecting one of three on-time representations and one of threeoff-time representations according to one embodiment;

FIG. 12 illustrates an interface according to one embodiment that is setfor “pulse” mode by selecting a constant on-time and a constantoff-time;

FIG. 13 illustrates an interface according to one embodiment that is setfor a “burst” mode by selecting a constant on-time and a decreasingoff-time relative to foot pedal displacement;

FIG. 14 illustrates an interface according to one embodiment that is setfor “continuous” mode in which the off-time is set to zero;

FIG. 15 illustrates an interface according to one embodiment that is setfor a mode in which on-time decreases and the off-time remains constantrelative to foot pedal displacement;

FIG. 16 illustrates an interface according to one embodiment that is setfor a mode in which both the on-time and the off-time decrease relativeto foot pedal displacement;

FIG. 17 illustrates an interface according to one embodiment that is setfor a mode in which both the on-time and the off-time increase relativeto foot pedal displacement;

FIG. 18 illustrates an interface according to one embodiment that is setfor a mode in which the on-time increases and the off-time decreasesrelative to foot pedal displacement;

FIG. 19 illustrates an interface according to one embodiment that is setfor a mode in which the on-time remains constant and the off-timedecreases relative to foot pedal displacement; and

FIG. 20 is a flow chart illustrating a method for selecting a mode andrelated on-time and off-time values according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings which form a part hereof, and which show by way of illustrationspecific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is tobe understood that changes may be made without departing from the scopeof invention.

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a graphical user interfacethat provides improved control over the ultrasound driving or pulsemodes that are generated by a phacoemulsification surgical system andimproved control over the parameters of the different pulse modes.Embodiments provide display elements that can be quickly and easilyselected and adjusted by a surgeon to select different modes, whileallowing various pulse parameters to be adjusted to customize thevarious modes. The pulse modes that can be selected include“Continuous,” “Pulse” and “Burst” modes and, in addition, hybrid orcombination modes that were not previously readily available for use inphacoemulsification systems. Representations of characteristics or thefunctions of pulses are displayed in display elements. Therepresentations can be changed by touching a display screen at aparticular display element to generate a menu from which arepresentation of a pulse characteristic, such as the on-time and theoff-time, can be selected by the user. Alternatively, a user can scrollthrough different representations of the characteristics or function ofthe on-time and the off-time of the pulses. The representation that isselected represents the function or behavior of the pulsecharacteristic, e.g., whether and how the on-time and the off-time varyin response to displacement of a controller, such as a foot pedal, andthe types and characteristics of pulses that are generated by thephacoemulsification system.

Embodiments of the invention provide improvements over known interfacesby allowing on-time and the off-time representations to be adjusted sothat they increase linearly, increase non-linearly, decrease linearly,decrease non-linearly, and remain substantially constant relative todisplacement of a foot pedal, which, in turn, determine whether theon-time and/or off-time decrease or increases linearly or non-linearlyor remain constant. Different pulse modes can be generated by selectingthe manner in which the on-time and the off-time vary (or do not vary).For example, nine different pulse modes can be selected when the on-timeand the off-time each can increase, decrease or remain constant inresponse to movement of the foot pedal. The power limit, the on-time andthe off-time, can be adjusted using up/down arrows and other suitableadjustment mechanisms.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of theinvention can be utilized with other surgical equipment including, butnot limited to, neurosurgery equipment, where control of variousinstruments is also performed with a remote foot pedal. For purposes ofexplanation, not limitation, this specification describes embodimentsrelated to phacoemulsification procedures and their associated operatingparameters.

Referring to FIG. 5, a user interface 500 for a phacoemulsificationsurgical system according to one embodiment is displayed on a displayscreen 505 of the system. The interface 500 includes a maximum power orpower limit display element 510, an on-time display element 520, and anoff-time display element 530. The current power level, as controlled bythe foot pedal, is shown in a current power display element 540. Theinterface 500 also includes other display elements and adjustments forother phacoemulsification surgical parameters, such as aspiration flowrate (Asp Rate) 560 and vacuum limit pressure (Vacuum) 550, as are knownin the art. Operation of these other display elements 550 and 560 is notdiscussed further in this specification. Pressing and releasing the footpedal controls the operation of the surgical devices according to thecorresponding operating parameters and parameter values that arerepresented in the interface 500 and programmed in the system.

In the illustrated embodiment, the display elements 510, 520 and 530 arerectangle-shaped display elements. Indeed, other shapes besidesrectangular shapes can be utilized, and rectangle-shaped displayelements are provided for purposes of illustration, not limitation. Thepower display element 510 includes a representation 512 of the behavioror function of the power relative to a position of the foot pedal. Theon-time display element 520 includes a representation 522 of thebehavior or function of the on-time of the pulses relative to a positionof the foot pedal. The off-time display element 530 includes arepresentation 532 of the behavior or function of the off-time of thepulses relative to a position of the foot pedal. The graphicrepresentations can be easily and quickly selected and adjusted by asurgeon before and during surgery.

Referring to FIG. 6, a representation of a pulse characteristic can havevarious shapes depending on the desired relationship or function betweenthe pulse parameter and the position of the foot pedal. As shown in FIG.6, a representation of a characteristic of a pulse can be linear ornon-linear representation, to represent a linear or non-linear functionof the power, on-time and/or off-time. A linear representation can be anincreasing linear representation 600, a horizontal or constant linearrepresentation 610, and a decreasing linear representation 620. Anon-linear representation can be an increasing non-liner representation630 and a decreasing non-linear representation 640.

Exemplary non-linear representations include exponential and polynomialrepresentations so that the power, on-time and/or off-time variesexponentially or in accordance with a polynomial with movement of thefoot pedal.

FIG. 7 illustrates exemplary non-linear representations. Non-linearrepresentations 700-750 decrease non-linearly in different manners.Representations 700-720 and corresponding functions of the power,on-time and/or off-time decrease less rapidly when the foot pedal isinitially depressed, and decrease more rapidly as the foot pedal isdepressed further. Representations 730-750 and corresponding functionsof the power, on-time and/or off-time decrease more rapidly when thefoot pedal is initially depressed, and decrease more slowly as the footpedal is depressed further. FIG. 8 illustrates similar relationshipswith increasing representations of the behavior or functions of a power,on-time and/or off-time.

For purposes of explanation and illustration, not limitation, thisspecification refers to linear representations, e.g., increasing linear,constant, and decreasing linear representations and related linearfunctions of power, on-time and/or off-time. Persons skilled in the artwill appreciate that the power, on-time and off-time can be controlledwith linear representations, non-linear representations and combinationsthereof. Persons skilled in the art will also appreciate that a linearrepresentation may represent a characteristic of a pulse that issubstantially linear and that includes some non-linear components inactual practice. For example, the relationship between the actual powerand the position of the foot pedal may not be exactly linear due tomapping the foot pedal position to the amount of power that isgenerated. Thus, there may be some deviations from a truly “linear”representation in practice due to mapping and other factors.

In the embodiments shown in FIG. 6, an increasing linear representation600 extends from a bottom left corner to a top right corner of a displayelement to illustrate that the parameter being represented increaseslinearly as the foot pedal is pressed and decreases linearly as the footpedal is released. A horizontal or constant linear representation 620extends between opposite sides of a display element and illustrates thatthe parameter being represented remains substantially constant atvarious foot pedal positions. A decreasing linear representation 610extends from a bottom left corner to a top right corner of a displayelement and illustrates that the parameter being represented decreaseslinearly as the foot pedal is pressed and increases linearly as the footpedal is released. In alternative embodiments, increasing and decreasinglinear representations 600 and 610 and corresponding functions of thepulse parameter may extend between a side and a corner of a displayelement or two sides of a display element, while still showing anincreasing or decreasing relationship. This may represent, for example,that the starting value of the pulse parameter, such as the on-time andthe off-time, is a non-zero value.

Initial and minimum values of the power, on-time and off-time can be setor programmed as necessary. The system can be configured so that theminimum power value is 0% or another desired value when the foot pedalis in its home position, e.g., when the foot pedal is released. Forexample, the initial on-time or, alternatively, the minimum on-time, canbe 0 ms or another desired value. Similarly, the initial off-time or,alternatively, the minimum off-time, can be 0 ms or another desiredvalue. Initial values or, alternatively, minimum values, can set usinganother interface screen or programming the values into the system.

Referring again to FIG. 5, a display element includes a value for apulse parameter. For example, the power limit display element 510includes a power value 513, the on-time display element 520 includes anon-time value 523 and the off-time display element includes an off-timevalue 533. The values are adjusted using respective up/down arrows 514,524 and 534 or other suitable adjustment mechanisms, such as slide bars.This specification refers to up/down arrows for purposes ofillustration, not limitation. For example, if the function of on-time isan increasing function, then the on-time value represents the maximumon-time. The minimum on-time can be zero or another selected value. Forexample, the minimum value can be 20% of the maximum value. The startingvalue can be determined using a formula function or other techniques. Asa further example, if the function of on-time is a decreasing function,then the on-time value represents the minimum on-time value when thefoot pedal is fully depressed. The maximum on-time can be selected asappropriate. Similar controls apply to the off-time. The valuesrepresent the minimum or maximum values of each parameter when the footpedal is fully depressed.

Thus, if the maximum value of the on-time is 70 ms and the on-timerepresentation increases linearly, then the on-time increases linearly,from zero or a minimum value (e.g., 20% of 70 ms) to 70 ms as the footpedal is pressed. If the on-time representation decreases linearly, thenthe on-time decreases from a maximum value to 70 ms in a linear manneras the foot pedal is pressed. Similarly, if the maximum value of theoff-time is 70 ms and the off-time representation decreases linearly,then the off-time decreases from a maximum value of 70 ms in a linearmanner as the foot pedal is pressed. If the off-time representationincreases linearly, then the off-time increases from 0 ms or a minimumvalue to 70 ms in a linear manner as the foot pedal is pressed. As afurther example, if the maximum value of the off-time is 50 ms, and theoff-time representation is horizontal, then the off-time remainssubstantially constant at 50 ms at different foot level positions. Ifthe maximum value of the on-time is 50 ms, and the on-timerepresentation is horizontal, then the on-time remains substantiallyconstant at 50 ms at different foot level positions.

In the illustrated embodiment, the values are superimposed over theirrespective representations. In other words, the representation appearsin the background of a display element. For example, the value 513 issuperimposed over the power representation 512, the value 523 issuperimposed over the on-time representation 522 and the value 533 issuperimposed over the off-time representation 532. In alternativeembodiments, the representations can also be superimposed over thevalues depending on display preferences.

A surgeon can select and switch representations and the manner in whichthe power, on-time and off-time function in different manners. Referringto FIG. 9, according to one embodiment, the surgeon can touch thedisplay screen at a display element so that a menu 900 of differentrepresentations is displayed. The surgeon can then select a newrepresentation or function of the power, on-time and/or off-time fromthe menu 900. For example, referring to FIGS. 5 and 9, a surgeon cantouch the display screen 505 at the off-time display element 530. As aresult, a menu 900 of decreasing representations is displayed, and thesurgeon can then select one of the representations from the menu 900.The selected representation represents how the pulse characteristicfunctions. Of course, the menu 900 can include different numbers ofdecreasing, increasing and constant or horizontal representations. FIG.9 illustrates a menu 900 having decreasing representations for purposesof illustration, not limitation. Each of the power limit, on-time andoff-time representations can be adjusted using a menu 900.

Referring to FIG. 10, according to another embodiment, a surgeon cantouch the display screen 500 at a display element to change therepresentation of the pulse characteristic to the desired representationusing a scroll menu 1000. In this embodiment, each time the surgeontouches the display screen 505 at a particular display element, therepresentation of that pulse parameter changes to a new representation.In other words, the surgeon can scroll through different representationsof pulse characteristics by touching the display screen 505 at thecorresponding display element. Thus, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 10,different representations are shown to the surgeon individually ratherthan shown as a group or menu 900, as shown in FIG. 9.

The representations in a scroll menu can appear to the surgeon indifferent orders. For example, if the initial representation is ahorizontal representation, a first touch (Touch 1) of a display elementcan change the horizontal representation to a linear increasingrepresentation. The next touch (Touch 2) can change the linearincreasing representation to a linear decreasing representation. Thenext touch (Touch 3) can change the linear increasing representation tothe horizontal representation. Each of the power limit, on-time andoff-time representations can be adjusted in this manner. FIG. 10illustrates other sequences in which representations may be displayed toa surgeon in response to the surgeon touching the display screen at adisplay element. Further, alternative embodiments can include othernumbers of representations and thus, other sequences of representationsthat are displayed.

Different ultrasound driving or pulse modes can be generated by thephacoemulsification system by selecting representations of the functionor behavior of the power, on-time and off-time, using a menu shown inFIG. 9 or a scrolling menu shown in FIG. 10.

According to one embodiment, the on-time and the off-time can each beassigned three different representations: linear increasing, linearhorizontal or constant, and linear decreasing.

Referring to FIG. 11, the total number of possible modes can bedetermined by multiplying the number of on-time representations and thenumber of off-time representations. In this embodiment, a surgeon canprogram nine different pulse modes. Indeed, the number of modes canchange when using different numbers of representations.

In Mode 1, both the on-time and the off-time remain substantiallyconstant when the foot pedal is pressed due to the horizontalrepresentations. In Mode 2, the on-time remains substantially constantand the off-time increases linearly in response to the foot pedal beingpressed. In Mode 3, the off-time remains substantially constant and theoff-time decreases linearly in response to pressing the foot pedal. InMode 4, the on-time increases linearly and the off-time remainssubstantially constant in response to pressing the foot pedal. In Mode5, both the on-time and the off-time increase linearly as the foot pedalis pressed. In Mode 6, the on-time increases linearly and the off-timedecreases linearly in response to the foot pedal being pressed. In Mode7, the on-time decreases linearly and the off-time remains substantiallyconstant in response to pressing the foot pedal. In Mode 8, the on-timedecreases linearly and the off-time increases linearly in response tothe foot pedal being pressed. In Mode 9, both the on-time an theoff-time decrease linearly as the foot pedal is pressed. A surgeon canselect one of the nine modes depending on the particular applicationaccording to one embodiment. FIGS. 12-19 illustrate exemplaryimplementations of selected modes. For purposes of explanation, FIGS.12-19 illustrate only the power, on-time and off-time representationsand related values.

FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary implementation of Mode 1, which iscommonly referred to as “Pulse” mode. In “Pulse” mode,phacoemulsification power is provided in periodic pulses at a constantduty cycle. The surgeon can increase or decrease the amount of power bypressing or releasing the foot pedal, which increases or decreases theamplitude of the fixed-width pulses. In known interfaces, such as theinterface shown in FIG. 3, “Pulse” mode is typically set using the pulserate expressed in pulses per second (pps) and the duty cycle or on-time,which is expressed in % time on. Embodiments of the invention useon-time and off-time to represent pulses in “Pulse” mode. Powerincreases to a maximum value of 40% as the foot pedal is depressed,whereas the on-time remains fixed at 30 ms and the off-time remainsfixed at 20 ms.

FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary implementation of Mode 3, which iscommonly referred to as “Burst” mode. In “Burst” mode, power is providedthrough a series of periodic, fixed width, constant amplitude pulses.Each pulse is followed by an “off” time. The off-time is varied bypressing the foot pedal to adjust the amount of power that is deliveredto the handpiece. In the illustrated example, the power increaseslinearly from an initial value to 40%, the on-time is fixed or constant,and the off-time decreases linearly from an initial value to 20 ms. ForBurst mode, the initial value can be, for example 2500 ms. Indeed, otherinitial values can also be used.

FIG. 14 illustrates one exemplary implementation of “Continuous” mode. Acontinuous mode can be selected by setting the off-time to zero when in“Pulse” mode (FIG. 12) or other modes besides “Burst” mode (FIG. 13).Ultrasound power is applied continuously in “Continuous” mode and in alinear manner so that the power increases linearly from zero to 40 asthe foot pedal is pressed.

FIG. 15 illustrates a mode in which the on-time decreases linearly andthe off-time remains constant as the foot pedal is pressed. Moreparticularly, this combination results in power increasing linearly froman initial value to 40%, the on-time decreasing linearly from an initialvalue, such as 150 ms (a factor of five times the ending value) to theending value of 30 ms in a linear manner. The off-time remains fixed at20 ms. This particular mode can be beneficial since the pulses that aregenerated by the system can be “adaptive” to various lens hardnesses.For example, when the surgeon sees that a given foot pedal depressiondoes not result in sufficiently rapid progress in lens removal, thesurgeon will typically command deeper foot pedal penetration, thusresulting in greater power. Usually, greater power will result inincreased repulsion, however, repulsion can be reduced, minimized oreliminated since the duration of the ultrasound pulse with thisparticular setting will be shortened. This result can be particularlyuseful when a surgeon is attempting to extract extremely maturecataracts, which are more prone to repulsion at higher powers due totheir hardness.

FIG. 16 illustrates a mode in which the power of pulses increaseslinearly from an initial value to 40%, the on-time decreases linearlyfrom an initial value, such as 150 ms, to a minimum value of 30 ms, andthe off-time decreases linearly from an initial value, such as 2500 ms,to a minimum value of 20 ms.

FIG. 17 illustrates a mode in which the power, on-time and off-time allincrease linearly as the foot pedal is pressed. The power increaseslinearly from an initial value zero to 40%, the on-time increaseslinearly from an initial value, e.g., 6 ms, to 20 ms, and the off-timeincreases linearly from an initial value, e.g. 4 ms, to 20 ms.

FIG. 18 illustrates a mode in which the power and on-time increaselinearly and the off-time decreases linearly. The power increaseslinearly from an initial value to 40%, the on-time increases linearlyfrom 6 ms, to 30 ms, and the off-time decreases linearly from an initialvalue, e.g., 2500 ms, to 20 ms.

FIG. 19 illustrates a mode in which the power increases linearly fromthe initial value to 40%, the on-time remains constant at 30 ms, and theoff-time increases linearly from 4 ms to 20 ms as the foot pedal ispressed.

FIG. 20 illustrates a method in which representations and on-time andoff-time values can be adjusted. In step 2000, the phacoemulsificationsurgery system is configured to have an initial on-time representation,an initial off-time representation, an initial on-time value, and aninitial off-time value. In step 2005, a decision is made whether thepulse mode or a value of a pulse parameter are to be changed. If not,the initial settings are maintained.

If the pulse mode is to be changed, in step 2010, then the on-time andoff-time representations are changed as necessary in steps 2015 and2020. For example, the surgeon can touch the display screen at anon-time display element to change the on-time representation to one ofan increasing linear, constant or decreasing linear representation.Similarly, the surgeon can touch the display screen at an off-timedisplay element to change the off-time representation to one of anincreasing linear, constant or decreasing linear representation. Theselected combination of the on-time and off-time functions results inone of pulse modes shown in FIG. 11 being selected in step 2025. Ofcourse, different numbers of representations can allow a surgeon togenerate different number of pulse modes.

The values of the on-time and off-time parameters can be adjusted instep 2030. More specifically, the on-time value and the off-time valuecan be adjusted as necessary in steps 2035 and 2040. Thus, the values ofthe pulse mode are adjusted in step 2045 as necessary.

Persons skilled in the art will recognize that the graphical userinterface and adjustments to the on-time and the off-time can bemodified in various ways. Accordingly, persons of ordinary skill in theart will appreciate that embodiments are not limited to the particularexemplary embodiments described, but rather, embodiments can be appliedto other surgical equipment and parameters. Although references havebeen made in the foregoing description to various embodiments, personsof ordinary skill in the art will recognize that insubstantialmodifications, alterations, and substitutions can be made to thedescribed embodiments without departing from the invention as claimed inthe accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A phacoemulsification surgical system comprising:a controller; and a display screen comprising a user interface thatgenerates pulses having an on-time and an off-time, the pulses beingadjusted in response to a position change of the controller and based onsettings in the user interface displayed on the display screen, the userinterface comprising: a first display element comprising arepresentation of a manner of change of the on-time of the pulsesgenerated by the phacoemulsification surgical system in response to achange to the position of the controller, wherein a first on-timerepresentation is changed to a second on-time representation in responseto the display screen being touched at the first display element; and asecond display element comprising a representation of a manner of changeof the off-time of the pulses generated by the phacoemulsificationsurgical system in response to the change to the position of thecontroller, wherein a first off-time representation is changed to asecond off-time representation in response to the display screen beingtouched at the second display element, wherein the on-time of the pulsesis an amount of time a series of the pulses is to be generated by thephacoemulsification system, the on-time of the pulses being an amount oftime during which phacoemulsification energy is applied; and wherein theoff-time of the pulses is an amount of time following each pulsegenerated during the on-time of the pulses, the off-time being a periodof time in which phacoemulsification energy is not applied.
 2. Thephacoemulsification surgical system of claim 1, wherein the firston-time representation or the second on-time representation comprises alinear or non-linear representation.
 3. A phacoemulsification surgicalsystem comprising: a foot pedal; and a display screen comprising a userinterface that generates pulses having an on-time and an off-time, thepulses being adjusted in response to a position change of the foot pedaland based on settings in the user interface displayed on the displayscreen, the user interface comprising: a first display elementcomprising a representation of a manner of change of the on-time of thepulses generated by the phacoemulsification surgical system relative inresponse to a change to the position of the foot pedal, wherein multipleon-time representations are sequentially displayed in the first displayelement responsive to a touch to the display screen at the first displayelement to scroll through the on-time representations, the on-timerepresentation that is displayed in the first display element being aselected on-time representation; and a second display element thatincludes a representation of a manner of change of the off-time of thepulses generated by the phacoemulsification surgical system in responseto the change to the position of the foot pedal, wherein multipleoff-time representations are sequentially displayed in the seconddisplay element responsive to a touch to the display screen at thesecond display element to scroll through the off-time representations,the off-time representation that is displayed in the second displayelement being a selected off-time representation, wherein the on-time ofthe pulses is an amount of time a series of the pulses is to begenerated by the phacoemulsification system, the on-time of the pulsesbeing an amount of time during which phacoemulsification energy isapplied; and wherein the off-time of the pulses is an amount of timefollowing each pulse generated during the on-time of the pulses, theoff-time being a period of time in which phacoemulsification energy isnot applied.